The green grants contest is designed to give a boost to the green economy. We want to draw attention to projects that are doing a great job of combining social justice with environmental responsibility, and reward them with a grant toward their work.

What kind of groups are eligible?

If the project is good for both people and the planet and a $1,000 or $2,500 grant could make a difference to them – you should nominate the group. The group is not required to be a nonprofit organization or have 501c(3) status.

Will you be contacting my nominee?

If your nominee makes it into our top-ten, we will contact them to let them know. We'll work with the ten nominees to get a full description of their projects on our Web site for the round of top-ten voting.

What kind of projects are you talking about?

Here are some examples: Maybe a local school could use a green-grant for its organic garden project. Maybe a local pro-bicycling non-profit organization wants to extend its reach into the inner city. Maybe a local solar-installation business wants to make a commitment to provide job-training. Really, we're looking forward to seeing what you report to us. We're excited about publicizing good news about the green economy and rewarding good green projects.

When will the grants be given?

The nomination period runs through June 7. The top-ten voting runs through June 30. We'll publicize the winners and disburse the grants shortly after that. We'll also keep up with the winners and profile the great ways that they use their "green grants."

How else will the nominees benefit?

We'll list all the nominees (not just the top ten) on our Web site with links to their work. This will become an honor roll of organizations doing great green work in their communities, bringing together social justice and environmental health. People from all over the country will see their work and have an opportunity to link to it.

How are the top ten nominees chosen?

Top ten nominees will be chosen by Green America staff.

How are the green grants funded?

A generous Green America donor provides these funds for us to disburse to other groups as we see fit. This year, we decided to invite you to help us decide who receives these grants.